Oymo-2013: Colour rage at Issyk Kul

A resort on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan hosted an Oriental festival of traditional crafts - Oymo-2013, which welcomed folk masters from 15 nations.

The festival has become a tourism brand of Kyrgyzstan, traditionally conducted in Bishkek, the country's capital embossomed in snow-capped mountains, and Cholpon Ata, a picturesque town on the coast of Lake Issyk Kul, near the Kazakh border.

God's Eye

Two things I can say about the land of Kyrgyzs, where I have never been before, are a clear night sky where stars seem to be within a hand's reach and 'star rains' - tiny meteorites blazing the vault of heaven. An inexpressible sight!

The nature of Kyrgyzstan, a small Central Asian state sitting in the Tian Shan Mountains, is simply charming. Over 75% of the country's territory lies 3-4 kilometers above sea level.

Colour rage

The annual fair of crafts Oymo-2013, the eighth in a row, is a very important event in the region's cultural life. It saw the best works from the craftsmen of the Central Asia, China, Russia, Turkey and Afghanistan making its first appearance at the festival this year.

Among visitors was Kyrgyz ex-president Roza Otunbayeva, who now popularises folk crafts in Kyrgyzstan.

"Central Asian craft fairs help intercultural dialogues, set partnership relations between attending countries, and vastly contribute to the development of tourism in Kyrgyzstan," she said.

Craftswoman Zhulduz

Kyrgyz felt craftswoman Zhulduz Assanakulova says her ancestors used to spent a year to make a felt carpet in the past, but now it takes her only 20 minutes to finish one, thanks to an electric structure her husband built to roll felt.

Felt is a notable brand of the country, Kyrgyz people diligently preserve and develop their art. Guests from all over the world come here to learn to deal with felt. Every village in the country is a separate workshop. There are villages where almost every craftsman is a merely yurt maker.